When They All Refuse To Cheer (1894)
The socialist members of the German Parliament refused to cheer the Emperor."--Cable. "The socialist members of the French Parliament refused to cheer the President, and when taken to task said that they would never cheer a man who would fire upon the people."--Also Cable.
With hands in holy horror raised, the Plutocrats do shriek,
The hulk they've floated on for years has sprung a nasty leak :
Dismay and death is drawing nigh, their stomachs shrink with fear,
The socialistic members for the king refuse to cheer.
Kiug William is a doughty knigbt, and rules with iron hand,
Protests he holds a brief from Heaven to lord it o'er the land ;
The "loyal" members rose and howled when William did appear ;
But the others fiat in silence and didn't try to cheer.
Brotherhood has quenched the flame of narrow patriots' ire,
The Teuton does not stand alone in silence deep and dire ;
Humanity grows larger day by day and year by year,
For the President who'd shoot 'em down the Frenchmen wouldn't cheer.
His wail of terror, trembling over land and sea,
From the fat man in his frenzy, sets us longing to be free.
It seems to hurry up a bit, the time that's drawing near,
When Right will be the only king the world will want to cheer.
When tyrants great, and tyrants small, who seek to rule by force,
May cheer each other all they know, may scream till they are hoarse.
The people, yes, the people, will make their meaning clear,
When they all sit stern and silent while the kings and tyrants cheer.
For humanity grows stronger day by day and year by year,
And by-and-bye the world will ring with something like a cheer.
--JOHN DRAYMAN.
Notes
From the Tasmanian newspaper the The Clipper Saturday 22 December 1894 Thursday 20 June 1895, p. 2.